Post by GM / Malinous on Nov 1, 2011 21:02:53 GMT -5
Background
Each year there is a festival, that would commemorate the harvest. While the crops aren't exactly seasonal, the tradition has endured! (But it's been moved to mid-summer, to help split the year, since there are no real seasons in the Kaer)
Games! Entertainment! And of Course, the Black Company's Annual Tournament of Arms!
The Tournament originally was part of a yearly ceremony for the Orkish Black Company where the youth competed to show their prowess and be offered a spot in the Company.
However, once they were holed up in the Kaer, they opened it up to any race to join, the Company. Eventually, as their numbers risked dwindling, they opened the competition up to all novices, regardless of their professed interest in joining the company. Of course, many successful competitors are often recruited actively. IN addition, it provides both entertainment and an outlet for up and coming Initiate's (or even non-adepts) to test their skills.
The entry rules are reasonably simple:
No competitor may have advanced beyond Initiate (no Novices). MOre advanced adepts who may have an interest in joining the Company are approached, interviewed and evaluated differently. Even a novice adept is a little to set in their ways to be brought in as an Initiate in the company!
No one who has been chosen as one of the 16 may re-enter.
A person may take the testing to enter the Tournament of 16 more than once.
In addition, because it is an Initiate Tournament, while not strictly against the rules, experienced non-adept fighters over their race's equivalent of 22 have never entered.
The Tournament itself is a three day affair.
Day 1: The Testing
Day 1: All hopefuls are tested, one at a time, by three officers. Either Captains or, Rarely, the Warleader. [There being only a few ranks in the company, roughly Warleader, Captain, Lieutenant (more of an assist-the Captains/Officer-Trainee rank than an Outranks the Sargeant's rank), Sargeant, Corporal, Soldier, although I reserve the right to amend the rank names!]
Testing may include mock-sword fights, quizzes, or simply steely soul-piercing glares, or anything else the testers require.
Then the canditates are ranked. The top 16 are the tournament contenders and, by tradition, are all automatically accepted into the Company if they so choose. For that reason, the test is not strictly of martial skill.
At least one of the tests is always a test of arms, and one a test of wits.
This year, the Captain-General was on the panel. A rare sight. The Brothers Madeara, along with 13 other applicants were chosen and ranked (to be posted later).
The "tournament" portion of the fair Takes three days.
Day one, is the testing, takes the whole day.
The Top 16 are posted on a giant banner just before dusk, to kick off the partying.
Day Two:
Is the first round (8 Matches) over the course of the day, one every hour from 10-5. The actual matches are declared one at a time. Earlier in the day is considered more prestigious. Presumably because the better candidates are given less forewarning of their likely opponents.
Day three:
The first match is at Dawn. Being selected to be the first match is, therefore, considered either an omen or an honor, depending on how you ask (and how people later interpret it in light of final results). 6 a.m.!
Then matches at 8 a.m., 10 a.m., and 12:00 noon
Then matches at 2:00 & 4:00 (Semi-finals)
And the final, smoke filled, fiery round starts at Dusk.
After the final round is the big party that culminates the whole fair.
Rules:
Round 1-3:
All contenders wear Padded Armor, with helmet. (+2 deflection) and Air Armor is cast on them before the Fight.
The weapons are all blunted wooden weapons. They all deal Str+0 Stun Damage, and cap at 2xStep Damage.
There are no STR requirements to wield them. Options are:
Dagger, Shortsword, Broadsword, Handaxe, 2-Handed Axe, 2-Handed sword.
Contender's may dual-wield (second attack).
Unarmed attacks are permitted.
Shields
YOu may also select a wooden rider's shield or wooden buckler. Due to the non-lethal nature of the weapons, special shield rules apply (a hit that hits the shield isn't a hit!):
A Buckler grants + 1 physical defense, no Armor, no initiative penalty, no deflection bonus.
A Rider's Shield Grants +2 Physical Defense, no armor, no initiative penalty, no deflection bonus.
Two-Handed Weaapons:
Two handed weapons grant +1 reach advantage to hit. (Because of the scoring, you don't need as solid of a hit as you would need in a *real* fight to score a point.).
Scoring:
Each primary attack landed: 1 Point
Each secondary attack landed (swift kick, second weapon, air-dance strike): 0.5 Points. (Cavalrymen don't get air dance, and the Black Company has been, traditionally, a Heavy Cavalry Company.)
First Competitor to 3 Points, wins.
Round 1-3 Has a very excited crowd. Immediately before beginning, Competitors make opposed charisma rolls. The winner compares their roll to the higher of the opponent's Social Defense or Roll. The winner gets +1 to all action tests for the first round, +1 per additional success level. On a tie, no effect.
Each Round has a special environment.
Round 1: (Earth)
Crafted boulder-strewn terrain.
A player may leap onto a boulder (Dex 5).
For each success level above Average, the character gets +1 to action tests.
For each success level below average, the character suffers -1 to action tests and -1 to physical defense.
Round 2: Water
The field is flooded with running water.
Movement rate is reduced by 3.
Each turn, at the start of their turn, a character must make a Dex (5) test to remain standing on a 1, they fall. On a 2-4, they are considered Harried.
The "Jump-Up" action may not be used.
T'Skrang only have a TN of 4. Sorry non-T'skrang.
Round 3: Air
Howling Winds are called forth into the arena area.
Each turn, the wind switches directions.
Being upwind from your opponent causes +0 to action tests
Being cross-wind from opponent: -1 to action tests.
Being downwind from your opponent causes -2 to action tests.
Wind will come in on an corner, which will cause 2 hex faces to be upwind, 2 downwind, and 2 crosswind.
Round 4. Fire.
1. Neither combatant may wear armor.
2. Shields work the same way as rounds 1-3.
3. The weapons are replaced with equivalent true air-imbued blade grass. These weapons are more like sharp-edged bamboo. They are stiff enough to block and parry, but will bend rather than break and instantly return to straight if bent. They do hurt when they hit you. They Deal (1/2) STR damage, round up (Roll STR, then 1/2 and Round). 1 Point of the damage is always physical (they draw blood). The rest of the damage is stun.
4. Fires are set around the edge of the arena. It is filled with smoke. This prevents anyone from expending a recovery test during the match.
In addition, the thick smoke is very deceptive. -1 to all action tests.
Finally, the crowd has no impact on the fight.
5. A character who wins the initiative by at least 2 may attempt to "fade and strike."
This involves moving back into the smoke, shifting position, and attacking from an unexpected angle.
This inflicts 1 Strain.
The opponent makes a perception test (-1 for deceptive smoke, -2 for perception modifier +2 for obviously expecting it, for a net of -1) against the Fade & Striking character's initiative step. (Must equal or exceed).
If this test fails, the opponent suffers -2 to their defenses and -2 to defensive talents. [i.e., they are blindsided.]
The WINNER is the last man standing.
Each year there is a festival, that would commemorate the harvest. While the crops aren't exactly seasonal, the tradition has endured! (But it's been moved to mid-summer, to help split the year, since there are no real seasons in the Kaer)
Games! Entertainment! And of Course, the Black Company's Annual Tournament of Arms!
The Tournament originally was part of a yearly ceremony for the Orkish Black Company where the youth competed to show their prowess and be offered a spot in the Company.
However, once they were holed up in the Kaer, they opened it up to any race to join, the Company. Eventually, as their numbers risked dwindling, they opened the competition up to all novices, regardless of their professed interest in joining the company. Of course, many successful competitors are often recruited actively. IN addition, it provides both entertainment and an outlet for up and coming Initiate's (or even non-adepts) to test their skills.
The entry rules are reasonably simple:
No competitor may have advanced beyond Initiate (no Novices). MOre advanced adepts who may have an interest in joining the Company are approached, interviewed and evaluated differently. Even a novice adept is a little to set in their ways to be brought in as an Initiate in the company!
No one who has been chosen as one of the 16 may re-enter.
A person may take the testing to enter the Tournament of 16 more than once.
In addition, because it is an Initiate Tournament, while not strictly against the rules, experienced non-adept fighters over their race's equivalent of 22 have never entered.
The Tournament itself is a three day affair.
Day 1: The Testing
Day 1: All hopefuls are tested, one at a time, by three officers. Either Captains or, Rarely, the Warleader. [There being only a few ranks in the company, roughly Warleader, Captain, Lieutenant (more of an assist-the Captains/Officer-Trainee rank than an Outranks the Sargeant's rank), Sargeant, Corporal, Soldier, although I reserve the right to amend the rank names!]
Testing may include mock-sword fights, quizzes, or simply steely soul-piercing glares, or anything else the testers require.
Then the canditates are ranked. The top 16 are the tournament contenders and, by tradition, are all automatically accepted into the Company if they so choose. For that reason, the test is not strictly of martial skill.
At least one of the tests is always a test of arms, and one a test of wits.
This year, the Captain-General was on the panel. A rare sight. The Brothers Madeara, along with 13 other applicants were chosen and ranked (to be posted later).
The "tournament" portion of the fair Takes three days.
Day one, is the testing, takes the whole day.
The Top 16 are posted on a giant banner just before dusk, to kick off the partying.
Day Two:
Is the first round (8 Matches) over the course of the day, one every hour from 10-5. The actual matches are declared one at a time. Earlier in the day is considered more prestigious. Presumably because the better candidates are given less forewarning of their likely opponents.
Day three:
The first match is at Dawn. Being selected to be the first match is, therefore, considered either an omen or an honor, depending on how you ask (and how people later interpret it in light of final results). 6 a.m.!
Then matches at 8 a.m., 10 a.m., and 12:00 noon
Then matches at 2:00 & 4:00 (Semi-finals)
And the final, smoke filled, fiery round starts at Dusk.
After the final round is the big party that culminates the whole fair.
Rules:
Round 1-3:
All contenders wear Padded Armor, with helmet. (+2 deflection) and Air Armor is cast on them before the Fight.
The weapons are all blunted wooden weapons. They all deal Str+0 Stun Damage, and cap at 2xStep Damage.
There are no STR requirements to wield them. Options are:
Dagger, Shortsword, Broadsword, Handaxe, 2-Handed Axe, 2-Handed sword.
Contender's may dual-wield (second attack).
Unarmed attacks are permitted.
Shields
YOu may also select a wooden rider's shield or wooden buckler. Due to the non-lethal nature of the weapons, special shield rules apply (a hit that hits the shield isn't a hit!):
A Buckler grants + 1 physical defense, no Armor, no initiative penalty, no deflection bonus.
A Rider's Shield Grants +2 Physical Defense, no armor, no initiative penalty, no deflection bonus.
Two-Handed Weaapons:
Two handed weapons grant +1 reach advantage to hit. (Because of the scoring, you don't need as solid of a hit as you would need in a *real* fight to score a point.).
Scoring:
Each primary attack landed: 1 Point
Each secondary attack landed (swift kick, second weapon, air-dance strike): 0.5 Points. (Cavalrymen don't get air dance, and the Black Company has been, traditionally, a Heavy Cavalry Company.)
First Competitor to 3 Points, wins.
Round 1-3 Has a very excited crowd. Immediately before beginning, Competitors make opposed charisma rolls. The winner compares their roll to the higher of the opponent's Social Defense or Roll. The winner gets +1 to all action tests for the first round, +1 per additional success level. On a tie, no effect.
Each Round has a special environment.
Round 1: (Earth)
Crafted boulder-strewn terrain.
A player may leap onto a boulder (Dex 5).
For each success level above Average, the character gets +1 to action tests.
For each success level below average, the character suffers -1 to action tests and -1 to physical defense.
Round 2: Water
The field is flooded with running water.
Movement rate is reduced by 3.
Each turn, at the start of their turn, a character must make a Dex (5) test to remain standing on a 1, they fall. On a 2-4, they are considered Harried.
The "Jump-Up" action may not be used.
T'Skrang only have a TN of 4. Sorry non-T'skrang.
Round 3: Air
Howling Winds are called forth into the arena area.
Each turn, the wind switches directions.
Being upwind from your opponent causes +0 to action tests
Being cross-wind from opponent: -1 to action tests.
Being downwind from your opponent causes -2 to action tests.
Wind will come in on an corner, which will cause 2 hex faces to be upwind, 2 downwind, and 2 crosswind.
Round 4. Fire.
1. Neither combatant may wear armor.
2. Shields work the same way as rounds 1-3.
3. The weapons are replaced with equivalent true air-imbued blade grass. These weapons are more like sharp-edged bamboo. They are stiff enough to block and parry, but will bend rather than break and instantly return to straight if bent. They do hurt when they hit you. They Deal (1/2) STR damage, round up (Roll STR, then 1/2 and Round). 1 Point of the damage is always physical (they draw blood). The rest of the damage is stun.
4. Fires are set around the edge of the arena. It is filled with smoke. This prevents anyone from expending a recovery test during the match.
In addition, the thick smoke is very deceptive. -1 to all action tests.
Finally, the crowd has no impact on the fight.
5. A character who wins the initiative by at least 2 may attempt to "fade and strike."
This involves moving back into the smoke, shifting position, and attacking from an unexpected angle.
This inflicts 1 Strain.
The opponent makes a perception test (-1 for deceptive smoke, -2 for perception modifier +2 for obviously expecting it, for a net of -1) against the Fade & Striking character's initiative step. (Must equal or exceed).
If this test fails, the opponent suffers -2 to their defenses and -2 to defensive talents. [i.e., they are blindsided.]
The WINNER is the last man standing.
